Big Time Virus
by emmyloser
Summary: James gets sick. Normally being a healthy person, James is extra miserable, especially when the illness starts to affect his complextion. Good thing he has his best friends to take care of him and cheer him up! No slash, just friendship.
1. He'll Be Better Tomorrow

"That was our best concert ever!" Kendall exclaimed as he flopped down on the couch with his best friends.

"Did you hear them screaming? That was so crazy! I've never heard a crowd that loud before!" Carlos said, excitedly.

"They absolutely loved us! This was the best night ever." Logan added, sharing a look of complete pleasure with the guys.

They had just finished their biggest concert yet. There were thousands of screaming girls, chanting their names and singing along to all their songs. They even did a few encores. The night had been a long one, they were performing for a good three hours, not to mention all the rehearsing they had to do during the day. All four of them were tired, but none as tired as James.

James sat silently at the end of the couch. He was absolutely exhausted. His head pounded from the rush of the screaming fans, his body ached from all the excessive performing. Overall, he was feeling weak. He could barely keep his eyes open.

"Hey, James?"

James didn't even hear his name called. His eyelids were closed and he cradled his head in his right hand, resting his elbow on the arm of the couch. He wasn't sleeping, but he might as well have been. He was about half way there.

"Hello, earth to James!" Kendall spoke loudly into his ear, startling from his near slumber. His head pounded at Kendall's volume and he winced, slightly.

James' eyes fluttered open and he blinked a few times in an attempt to fight off the sleepiness he felt. He noticed Kendall, Carlos and Logan all staring at him. "What's up?" He asked, a bit confused at the looks he was receiving.

"You alright, man?" Carlos asked, looking slightly worried.

"I'm just tired." James tried to assure them as he let his eyes close again. He could feel himself losing the battle against sleep.

"You look a little…pale…" Logan stated, moving his hand towards James' forehead.

James could feel it coming and quickly batted it away. Honestly, he wasn't feeling that great but he attributed that to the long day he had had. He figured he just needed some sleep and he'd be good as new.

"M'fine. Just really tired is all. Been a long day, you know?" He answered, eyes still closed.

"You sure, man?" Kendall asked, concern evident in his voice. His worry didn't lessen when he only received a nod from James as a response. "If you're this tired then you should get to bed."

"Yeah, it's not healthy to deprive yourself of sleep when your body needs it. James is right, it's been a long day for all of us. We should probably all head to bed. It's already past midnight." Logan said as he glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Yeah, it's like four hours past your bedtime right, Logan?" Carlos teased, only to receive a playful shove from Logan.

"No! It's only three hours…" Logan mumbled. They all shared a light laugh, minus James who was too tired to fully understand what was going on. Soon, he felt someone shaking him lightly. His weak eyes opened to see Kendall standing over him.

"C'mon man, let's get you to bed." Kendall helped him to his feet and guided him to the room they shared. He was grateful for his friend's help, because he was just too tired to walk and had to lean on him the whole way. Kendall led James over to his bed next to the window and let him plop down.

"Don't you wanna change before you go to sleep?" Kendall asked. He noticed that James had only flopped down on the bed, cuddling into his pillow. It was obvious the boy had no intension of even sliding off his jeans.

"Nah. M'good." His voice was clogged with sleep and Kendall knew that his friend was no longer really conscious.

"Well, I'm gonna at least take your shoes for you, okay?" Kendall said, more of a statement than a question, for he knew James was no longer able to answer him.

Kendall took James' shoes off for him and tossed them aside. He made his way to his own bed across the room and laid down after changing into some pajama pants. He was about to shut off the light by his bed when Logan appeared in the doorway.

"Hey." Logan yawned as he spoke.

"Hey, what's up?" Kendall asked, feeling just as tired as Logan looked.

"I'm kind of worried about James. Did you noticed he was acting kind of funny today?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it. He was kind of quiet most of the day. And he was really burned out after the show." Kendall glanced over at the sleeping James. He was curled deep under the blankets, shivering slightly. _He must be cold_, Kendall thought.

Apparently Logan was thinking the same thing because he walked over to the closet and pulled out a blanket from the top shelf and placed it over James' shivering form. Logan rested his hand on his friend's forehead and frowned slightly.

"He's warm. Just a bit though." Logan looked over at Kendall.

"Yeah, well you know James, he works really hard on performance and he probably just overdid it today. He's never sick, so I'm sure he's okay.

It was true, James Diamond was never sick. Well, almost never. Out of all the years they had been friends, the three boys had only seen James truly sick twice. Once was when they were seven and James had caught a nasty case of the flu after being dared to lick a doorknob by Carlos. The other time had been when they were thirteen and had all caught strep throat, thanks to Kendall who had shared his water bottle with them a couple days before he found out he was sick. From time to time James would get headaches, minor stomachaches or fevers that broke within a couple hours, but he was generally a healthy person. Definitely the healthiest out of the four.

Logan bit his bottom lip and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he's probably just burned out is all. He'll be alright by tomorrow, I'm sure. He most likely just needs a good rest."

"Yeah. He'll be fine, Logan. He's just overtired." Kendall said as he clicked off the lamp by his bed. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Kendall." And with that, Logan retreated to his room where Carlos was already fast asleep. He laid down in his bed and let his eyes drift shut, fully confident that his slightly ill friend would be fully recuperated by tomorrow.


	2. Sicker

James eyes fluttered open slowly. Why was the room so cold? He shivered as he wrapped the blankets tighter around him. He sat up slowly, only to be welcomed by a massive headache. The bright sunlight emanating from the window wasn't helping either.

_Ugh, what time is it? _He thought as he reached a hand up to rub his head. Ten o'clock. This was weird for him, usually he woke up early, not because he wanted to, but just because his body never let him sleep in past eight.

James looked over at a sleeping Kendall. Kendall was spread out on his bed, legs and arms hanging off the edges. Kendall always was a heavy sleeper and was able to sleep in any position anywhere.

James slowly pushed himself off the bed, only to be hit by a wave of dizziness. He steadied himself against the wall. Why was he feeling so crappy today? He was James Diamond! He never got sick…No…he wasn't sick…Just a bit off…Yeah, that's it…

He made his way to the kitchen and plopped down at the table. Logan was already there, enjoying a bowl of cereal.

"How you feeling today?" He asked him. He kept his head down, eyes concentrating on those last bits of cereal that just didn't want to get onto the spoon.

"Um, alright. Why?" He lied. James didn't want his friends to worry about him. Whatever was wrong with him would go away soon and he'd be fine again. He was just a little off today, he figured, after working so hard yesterday.

"You seemed a little out of it last night."

"I was just really tired, but I'm good now, thanks." James yawned and stretched his arms above his head. He slept longer than usual, yet he was still feeling pretty tired.

"Aren't you gonna grab something to eat?" Logan noticed that he was just sitting there, making no attempt to find breakfast. Breakfast was James' favorite meal of the day. The first thing he did every morning was eat.

The last thing on his mind was food. His stomach was a little upset and the thought of food only nauseated him further. James only remembered throwing up three times in his life and from what he remembered of it, he hated it. He hated the gagging and the burning throat and the spitting afterwards. He hated the whole ordeal. He was gonna do anything he could to keep his cookies down.

"Oh, I uh, woke up earlier. I had a bowl of cereal and then I went back to bed. I'm not hungry."

Logan stared at him suspiciously. "Alright then." He said after a while of looking him over. He wasn't sure if believed him, but he gave him the benefit of the doubt.

"So what are we doing today?" James asked him, casually.

"Mama Knight called. She wants us to stay in. There's suppose to be a big thunderstorm coming in today."

"How would she know?" He asked confusedly. Mama Knight and Katie were away for a couple of days at some high-tech spa in Sacramento for a girls weekend out.

"Internet." Logan said, getting up and placing his cereal bowl in the sink. "So anyways, I guess we're homebound for the day."

James was so thankful for this. He just wasn't feeling good enough to be crazy and adventurous like normal. He was too tired to go to the pool or play street hockey or do anything, really. He looked forward to just relaxing today.

Kendall and Carlos emerged from their rooms. Carlos was jumping excitedly around the living room.

"Snow day!" He screamed, excitedly.

"Carlos, it's rain, not snow." Logan chuckled, amused at his friends childish excitement.

"Yeah, but we can pretend it's a snow day! We can watch movies and play videogames and eat junk food all day, just like we used to in Minnesota!"

They did have the best snow days in Minnesota. They would all meet up at Kendall's house and just goof off the entire day. They'd eat popcorn and candy and chicken dinosaurs with soda and watch movies all day. They'd usually end up staying the night, not because they planned it, but because their sugar highs and stir-crazy days had left them exhausted and passed out at a time much earlier than they usually fell asleep.

A few hours later, they began their mock snow day. The spread out blankets and pillows on the floor and got comfy.

"I'll get the popcorn!" Carlos bounced over to the cabinet that held the popcorn.

"Oh no, you don't! I got it! We don't need you blowing up the microwave…again." Kendall grabbed the un-popped bag of popcorn out of the boy's hands.

"C'mon, that was an accident…" Carlos pouted.

"Go pick out the movie instead." Kendall told him, knowing that Carlos would quickly forget about making popcorn.

"Okay!" The energetic teen ran over to the stacks of DVDs and started rummaging through them. In a matter of seconds Carlos had Jurassic Park playing on the screen.

Kendall and Carlos laid out on the floor and stared at the TV screen as if it was the first time they'd seen the movie, although it had actually been about their fifteenth time watching it. James and Logan were situated on the couch, also staring intently at the movie.

James was really tired, but refused to fall asleep. He knew that would send up red flags in his friends' heads. He never fell asleep during movies or watching TV, that was Carlos' thing. He knew Logan already had an eye out for him and he wasn't going to do anything that would give him more reason to be concerned.

He was doing a fairly good job of staying awake. He turned all his focus to the movie. Occasionally he felt his eyelids droop a bit, but automatically blinked away the sleep that was begging to take him over.

Kendall walked over to the couch with a big tray of snacks. Popcorn, chocolate, chips, pretzels, dip, licorice, soda, the whole nine yards. James must have been focusing harder than he thought, for he didn't even realize that Kendall had moved from the floor. He wished he hadn't realized he returned either. James' stomach flip flopped as he watched his friend set the tray of junk on the floor.

"Dig in, guys!" The three of them hungrily attacked the tray, stuffing candy and chips into their mouths.

James sat there and watched for a minute. He could feel Logan eyeballing him and he knew he would have to eat something. If he didn't they'd definitely notice.

James picked up a few chips and chewed them slowly, forcing them down. Next he grabbed a string of licorice and downed that as well. _So far so good._ He told himself. Next he reached for a few M&Ms and ate them slowly.

That was about all he could take. His stomach churned and rumbled. He could feel himself starting to sweat and a funny taste formed in his mouth. _Oh no, please no._ He closed his eyes, praying that the stomachache would pass.

Kendall noticed when James stopped eating. He watched as he sat there, eyes closed, sweaty and visibly turning green.

"James? You alright, man?" Kendall asked with concern. Logan and Carlos both turned to look at James.

"You don't look too good, James." Carlos commented.

James was unresponsive. He was too busy trying to keep the contents of his stomach where they should be. He was afraid to even open his mouth at the moment.

"James? What's the matter?" Logan reached over, placing a hand on James' shoulder. He shivered at the touch.

James could feel something hot and warm burning the back of his throat, creeping its way up his esophagus. He rushed up off his spot on the couch and made a mad dash for the bathroom. Just as he reached the bathroom, he couldn't make it any further. He bent over and puked up anything and everything that was once in his stomach right on the bathroom floor. His knees were shaking and he soon found himself kneeling on the floor. He was cold. His stomach hurt and the back of his throat burned. He felt a cool hand brush over his burning forehead.

"You feel warm. I had a feeling something wasn't right! Why didn't you say you felt sick? Do you feel any better? Look at your shirt! C'mon James, you \need to get changed and lay down for a while." Logan pulled him to his feet and dragged him into his room before he could answer any of his questions.

James found himself sitting on his bed, Logan tossed him a shirt and instructed him to take off the one he was wearing, which had a streak of vomit on it.

"Sorry…" James mumbled. He was embarrassed to have just puked his guts out right in front of his friends.

"James don't be silly, you didn't do anything wrong." He said, grabbing a thermometer.

"But…the floor…I'm sorry…I don't know what happened." His voice was small and tired. He could feel his face heat up, not sure if it was from embarrassment or the fever he was sure he had.

"Don't worry about it. You couldn't help it. Kendall and Carlos are cleaning the mess up." Logan sat next to James on the bed and placed the thermometer in his mouth. "Sublingual, please."

James was used to Logan's use of medical terminology and quickly complied, wiggling the thermometer around until it was under his tongue.

Logan rubbed his back soothingly. "What hurts?"

"My head, my throat, my stomach…" James groaned as he held the thermometer in place.

"Oh James, you should have said something sooner. I know your not used to being sick, but that's all the more reason to tell someone when you're not feeling well."

James said nothing. He just sat there staring at his feet until the thermometer beeped.

Logan took it out and read the results. "102. James, that's not good. Get some rest, alright? I'm going to get you some Ibuprofen to help bring the fever down. Can I get you anything else?"

James shook his head no and watched Logan disappear. He settled himself under the covers of his bed. He felt like crap. He hadn't felt this sick…ever. His body felt sore and tired and he wanted nothing more than to just take a nap and wake up feeling better.

Carlos and Kendall entered the room, concern written all over their faces.

"Hey, how you feeling, man?" Kendall said quietly.

"Not good. I'm sorry guys…really, I am."

"Hey, it's not your fault you're sick." Carlos told him.

Logan returned with some medicine and a glass of water. "Here, take this and lay back down. Try to get some sleep, okay?"

"M'kay.." James swallowed to pills and laid his head back down only to be hit by another wave on nausea. He slowly sat back up and tried to calm himself, hoping he wouldn't get sick again.

Luckily, his friends recognized the change in color and sick appearance. Kendall quickly grabbed the garbage can from next to his computer desk and handed it to James just in time for him to vomit again.

When he finished he groaned and laid back down. Logan was rubbing his back again.

"It's alright, James. You'll be alright. Just try to get some sleep, you need it right now."

James let his eyes shut and he knew he'd be asleep soon. He was feeling so horrible right now that he couldn't even muster up enough strength to fight it. He was achy and tired and just plain sick feeling.

"This couldn't be any worse." He mumbled before sleep took him away.


	3. Denial and Acceptance

Morning came sooner than he anticipated. He awoke to the drums beating inside his head. His rested body remained sore and tired. Nausea was still present in his stomach. However, he noticed a new symptom. He felt itchy and irritated. His face and his torso were so itchy, but why?

James pulled himself out of bed and dragged himself over to the mirror. His eyes widened and he stared at the face staring back at him in complete horror. His mouth was agape and he let out a scream of terror.

Kendall was in the room in an instant. "What's wrong Ja-" Kendall stopped abruptly as soon as he saw James. His face was covered in what appeared to be pimples. But Kendall new from his own past experiences that they were most certainly not pimples.

"LOGAN! GET IN HERE!" Kendall shouted over his shoulder.

Logan quickly rushed in, Carlos close behind. They both stopped immediately when they saw James standing by the mirror, a panicked look on his face. They both knew in an instant what was wrong with him.

Logan quickly took notice of his friend's state. "James…Calm down, alright? You just have the chicken pox. You just need to rest and let the virus run its course, okay? You'll be good as new in a little over a week."

"A week! No, no, no. I don't have the chicken pox! Those can leave scars…And…my face…No. It must just be a rash! I must be allergic to the fabric softer on my sheets, yeah, that's got to be it! We stop using the fabric softener and this will go away!" James said, absentmindedly scratching at his cheek.

"No, James. We use the same fabric softener as always. You're sick. We're gonna take care of you though." Logan tried to explain to him.

"It can't be chicken pox! It's got to be a rash! I…I must have some kind of stomach bug, too! I threw up last night! All of you guys had chicken pox and none of you have ever puked from it!"

"We were all little when we had it. Since you're older your body is going to handle the virus differently." Logan said.

"No! I don't have chicken pox!" James wailed, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

"Dude, you've got the chicken pox, no big deal." Carlos tried to comfort him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Chicken pox is for little kids! I'm 16 freakin' years old!" James argued, burying his head in his hands. "I'm too old!"

"Anyone can get them, James. My mom didn't get them until she was like 25." Kendall informed him.

"But…I don't wanna be sick! I…I can't be! I just can't! My face! Did you see it? It's horrible!" James was on the verge of tears now. He hated being sick. He also hated the fact that his face was covered in itchy red bumps. He felt cranky and achy and tired. He just wanted to wake up and find this all a dream.

"Hey, c'mon man. It's not that bad. Everyone gets sick sometimes." Carlos spoke softly, hoping to calm his hysterical friend.

"Easy for you to say! You guys get sick all the time! I'm never sick!" He complained.

It was true. The other three boys were always coming down with something, and once one caught a bug the other two would catch it soon after. James, however seemed to be immune to all their germs. He could come in all types of contact with his sick friends and walk away with a clean bill of health.

"Look James, you're sick. It is what it is. We're gonna take care of you though. You'll be alright. Sickness does pass, you know. Now quite fussing, you look tired. Go back to sleep, alright? Rest is the only way you're going to get better." Logan directed him.

"I don't wanna go to sleep…Not yet." The boy pouted.

Logan rolled his eyes, knowing he was only being stubborn. "Well then let's check your temperature. Carlos, run and get me the thermometer?"

"Yeah, no problem." Carlos ran out of the room and appeared back only seconds later with the requested instrument.

"Thanks." Logan stuck the thermometer in James' mouth and waited. After a minute of silence, the little tool beeped. "103. It went up since yesterday. That's not good."

"How do you feel, by the way?" Kendall inquired.

"I'm alright…" James tried to say as he rested his head on his pillow.

"Dude, we know you're lying. You have to tell the truth if you wanna get better." Carlos told him.

James sighed and closed his eyes. He felt his face heat up again. He hated this sort of attention. "I don't feel very good, I guess."

"How so?"

"My head really hurts. I feel all itchy and uncomfortable. My stomach still feels sick, too."

James was completely and utterly embarrassed. He hated being weak, and here he sat in front of his three best friends, completely vulnerable. He hated not having much energy to even act like he felt okay.

"Try to get some sleep, James. And don't even try to fight it. I can tell you're sleepy so just rest. It's the only way you're going to get better." Logan ordered him. "We'll wake you up in a little bit so you can get some food and medicine in you."

James groaned at the mention of food. He didn't say anything though. He felt his eyes grow very heavy and he just couldn't fight it. He closed his eyes and let sleep steal him away.

The three friends left their friend to sleep in peace and gathered in the kitchen.

"He looked bad. Shouldn't we take him to the hospital?" Carlos wondered.

"There's nothing they'd be able to do for him. All you can do for the chicken pox is make sure the person is comfortable and give them meds for their symptoms." Logan explained.

"You think he'll be alright? He really isn't handling this well. He's new to being sick." Kendall asked the doctorial boy.

"Yeah, he'll be fine in a week or two. It's just chicken pox. It'll probably be kinda rough on him though, physically and emotionally, so he's going to need us to look after him."

"No need to worry about that, Logie, we'll take good care of him." Kendall said.

"I know." Logan agreed with him.

**Okay, so there is chapter three! I'll try to make the next one is longer for you guys. Also, my birthday is this Saturday! :) So if anyone out there would like to write me a oneshot as a birthday present it would be soooo cool of you! My favorite character is James and I don't like slashes. Also I want to thank everyone for all the awesome reviews I received! You guys are what keeps me writing! I hope to have the next chapter up for you guys within the next few days. **


	4. Not Any Better

Three hours had passed and James was still sleeping. His friends were all worried. James never took naps during the day, so he must have been feeling really crappy to be able to lay down and take a three hour nap. Logan checked on him numerous times and found that James hadn't moved at all in his sleep. He was completely out, obviously in a deep, much needed sleep.

Logan looked up at the clock and noticed that it was half past noon. He figured James should probably wake up and try to eat something.

"Hey, Logan, me and Kendall are gonna grab some Subway for lunch. What do you want? Should we get something for James?" Carlos asked him.

"Kendall and I." He corrected. "And my usual please. Don't bother getting James anything, I highly doubt he's feeling up to anything right now. I'm gonna make him something in a few minutes."

"Alright, man, we'll be back in a few with lunch." Kendall nodded and walked out the door with Carlos bouncing behind.

Logan started into James room and saw the sleeping boy, laying in the same position he'd been in for three hours. James was facing away from the door, curled and wrapped in his comforter. He was a human burrito. He looked sweaty and exhausted. Logan felt slightly bad for what he was about to do, but he knew it had to be done.

"James? C'mon, buddy, wake up for a little bit, okay?" Logan gently shook James' shoulder.

James shifted slightly and slowly pulled the cover over his head. "M'tired." He mumbled, voice clogged with sleep.

"I know you are, but you have to eat something and take some medicine." He told him softly.

James groaned. "Please don't make me eat,, Logie." He begged.

"Why?" Logan asked, rubbing his sick friend's back.

"Because I don't want to." He responded with his eyes still shut tight.

Logan felt James' forehead. It was just as warm as before. "How do you feel?"

"Tired." Came a muffled response.

"What else, James?"

"Really, really itchy. Hot. Sick."

"Well I can give you some Benadryl to help control the itching, but I'd really like you to eat something first." Logan told him.

"Logan, no." James pleaded miserably. "My stomach is all messed up. I'm gonna get sick if I eat."

"I'll give you something light. How about a few crackers or some soup? You can have some dry toast if you want."

"I really don't care what I eat. Nothing sounds good right now. I just wanna sleep."

"I know, James." Logan left it at that and got up to fetch James something to eat.

He made his way in the kitchen and started to make James some toast when Carlos and Kendall returned with three foot-long subs. They sat down at the table and Carlos wasted no time, immediately starting to devour his.

"How's James?" Kendall asked, while unwrapping his sandwich.

"Not good. He's still running a fever and he's really not feeling well."

The toast popped up and Logan placed it on a place and sliced it in half. He was about to take it into James but Kendall grabbed his arm.

"Sit down and eat your lunch, I'll take it to him." He offered.

"You sure?" Logan asked.

"Uh, yeah. That's why I offered." Kendall smiled and grabbed the place from his friends' hands. He took the plate to James and was shocked to see the state his friend was in.

James was sitting up in bed, eyes surrounded by dark circles and a thin layer of sweat covering his body. He looked pale and all around sick.

"Here, Logan made you some toast." Kendall said quietly as he handed over the plate. "How you feel, man?"

"Bad." James grimaced at the sight of the toast. His stomach churned. He knew he wouldn't be able to eat it.

"You know, you might feel better if you get a little something in your stomach."

"I can't eat it, Kendall. What if it makes me sick?" James hated being so whiney but he really wasn't feeling good. The last thing he wanted was to vomit a third time.

"Then you puke and it's over with." Kendall chuckled but quickly stopped when he noticed how miserable James looked. "Come on, just a couple bites. Take it slow. You won't get sick. I promise."

James moaned as he picked up a piece of the toast. He took a few little at a time and eventually managed to finish the piece.

"No more. Not right now." James put the plate on his nightstand and snuggled under his comforter.

Kendall sighed. "Alright, but try again later, okay?"

"Yeah." James mumbled as her began to scratch furiously at his neck and face.

"Don't scratch, James. You're going to get an infection or scars." He told his itchy friend.

"Ugh! It's driving me crazy, though!" He whined. He did stop scratching though. No way The Face was going to have stupid chicken pox scars.

"Do you want to take some medicine?"

James let out a tired sigh. "No. I think I'm just gonna go back to sleep. Maybe the itching will be better when I wake up."

"Doubt it." Kendall told him truthfully. He knew that the itching wasn't going to stop anytime soon and James would be miserable for a while.

"Thanks." James said sarcastically.

"Sorry, man. Get some rest. I'm sure Mr. Mom will be in here in a little bit to shove meds down your throat or take your temp or something." The blonde said, referring to Logan.

"Ha. Okay. See you later." James said as his eyes shut and sleep engulfed him.

Kendall quietly shut the door so James wouldn't be disturbed. He felt bad for his friend, knowing very well how horrible it was to have the chicken pox. He remembered being eight and having them. It had been pure torture to be stuck in bed while his friends could still go out and play. He remembered the seemingly endless 'blah' feeling and the extreme itchiness. He hoped that his friend would be better tomorrow, but he knew very well that his condition would show little to no improvement. But he couldn't stand to see his best friend so miserable, so Kendall hoped that by some chance James would feel at least a bit better anyway.


	5. Logan and James

When James woke up he found himself surrounded by darkness. He turned his head to get a better look at the clock. The bright red numbers read 2:06.

He groaned in displeasure. He didn't want to be awake at all. He felt hot and sweaty. His hair was sticking to his forehead uncomfortably. His clothes were plastered to his feverish skin. James found this just plain gross. He knew he needed a shower desperately, but at the moment he felt too sore and nauseous to move.

So for a while, James laid in bed, praying for the sleep he so desperately wanted and needed. Occasionally, he'd glance over at Kendall, who was dead asleep under a single light sheet. James envied his deep sleeping friend, for he was the exact opposite. He never did sleep much at night, and the little bit he'd get was easily disrupted by any little noise. He could never sleep in the day either. Being awake at two in the morning wasn't something new to him, but being sick just made it ten times worse.

James sighed. The hot, stickiness of his skin was growing unbearable and he knew that he couldn't put off bathing any longer. Slowly, he pushed the pile of blankets off of him and shakily stood up. He grabbed some clean pajama pants and a t-shirt from his dresser before dragging himself to the bathroom.

In the bathroom, he looked in the mirror with disgust. His whole face was covered with the hideous red dots. He could tell he was itching them in his sleep. He felt so uncomfortable and looking at them seemed to worsen the itching. He turned away from the mirror and turned on the shower.

He climbed in the shower and felt a bit relieved as the warm water poured over him. He could feel the toxins wash from his pours and began to feel a little better. A clean James was always a happy James. It had been that way since before he could remember. No matter if he was sick, stressed, or upset, a warm shower always managed to make him feel a bit better.

His refreshed feeling was quickly hindered by a sick feeling growing in his stomach. He noticed that he was feeling very tired again and he felt a bit shaky from all the standing he'd been doing. He decided that it was time to get out of the shower and back to bed before he passed out.

Quickly as he could, he dried himself off and dressed himself. He was just about to head back to bed when he felt the knot in his stomach grow bigger. He sat on the floor, clutching his stomach, hoping it would end soon. After a few minute of pure torture he knew what was coming next. He crawled over the toilet and lifted up the seat.

As he was retching, he felt a hand rub circles on his back. Another hand reached up and pushed his bangs away from his face.

"It'll be alright, James. Just let it out. It's okay." He heard the voice coo. He couldn't make out who it was, though. The sound of his vomiting was blaring in his ears, making it hard to tell. He only knew it had to be one of the guys.

After what seemed like forever, he finally stopped. He leaned back against the wall, coughing and panting. The hand reached down and handed him a cup of water, which he eagerly accepted.

He looked up to see Logan staring down at him, concern written all over his face.

"Are you alright, now?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, my stomach feels a little better, actually." James replied.

"Well that's good. Hopefully that'll be the last time you throw up then. When did you wake up?" Logan kneeled down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"At like, two. I felt sweaty and gross, so I came to take a shower."

Logan sucked his teeth with disappointment. "James, you're still too weak to stand up for that long. Chicken pox has knocked you right on your ass and you need to rest in order to get better."

James was slightly annoyed by this. All he wanted to do was take a shower, a simple task, and he wasn't even able to do that.

"I felt really gross. I needed a shower real bad." He tried to argue.

"Then you should have woken me up, James! I could have ran a bath for you, I could have helped you!" Logan scolded.

"I didn't want to wake you for something that I can do on my own!" James argued, feeling a headache coming on. He was tired and irritable and didn't feel up to arguing anymore. He just wanted to go back to bed now.

"Oh, come on, James! Just look at you! You're pale and shaking on the bathroom floor. You just finished upchucking and you can't even stand for ten minutes! I know you hate this, but the truth is you really can't do it on your own right now! You're too sick! So please, just accept the help! The sooner you do, the sooner you can go back to being your independent, arrogant self!" Logan scolded.

He felt bad for yelling at his sick friend. He just wanted him to listen though. Logan hated seeing his friend this sick and only wanted him to get better as soon as he could. He knew that the quickest way to recovery would require James to swallow his pride and just let his friends take care of him.

"James?" Logan called when James hadn't said anything after his little lecture.

"Just please stop yelling." James winced as he put a hand to his head.

Logan immediately felt a pang of guilt in his chest. Here he was giving his friend a speech about wanting him to get better and all he was doing was making him sicker.

"I'm sorry." Logan whispered. "Come on, lets get you some Tylenol or something."

Logan attempted to help James off the floor, but he wouldn't budge.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't wanna. I don't feel good." James mumbled and began scratching at his leg.

Logan sighed, knowing very well that his friend really meant it. He could tell James didn't feel good at all by the look on his face. His face had grown increasingly pale, except for a flash of red on his cheeks. He was shaky and sweaty and itching furiously with one hand, holding his head with the other.

"I know, buddy. That's why you have to take some medicine. C'mon, you can go to bed right after, I promise." Logan said, and began to pull James off the floor.

James surrendered, allowing Logan to help him off the floor. "Okay." He slurred, as sleepiness began to fill his head.

James leaned on Logan's shoulder all the way to the couch, where Logan plopped him down and went to retrieve some medicine. He was back in a flash and handed James a glass of water and a few pills.

James gulped them down and set the glass on the coffee table. He laid down on the couch, bringing his knees up to his chest and pulled a pillow down from the end, resting it under his aching head.

"No James, don't fall asleep here. You'll be a lot more comfortable in your bed. C'mon, let's go."

"No." James whined. He was too tired to go all the way to his room, even with the help Logan would provide. "Wanna stay here."

Sleep was evident in the boy's voice and Logan gave a defeated sigh, knowing he'd never be able to drag James to bed. Logan placed the blanket from the back of the couch over James shivering body.

"Goodnight. Feel better, James." Logan got up to go back to his room but was quickly stopped.

"Please don't leave." James begged, eyes closed. Logan was pretty sure he wasn't fully conscious.

"What?" He asked, surprised.

"Don't leave." He repeated.

Logan couldn't say no to the desperation in his friend's voice. Without a word he carefully picked up James' head and sat down beside him, resting James' head on his lap. James' let out a content sigh and snuggled closer to his friend. Logan began stroking James' hair until a soft snore could be heard.

Logan wished he could do more to help his friend. It was heartbreaking to see him so weak and dependent. He knew the situation wasn't life-threatening but it may as well have been. James hated having to be fussed over and taken care of. It was like the end of the world to him. Logan silently hoped that things would be better today as he slowly felt his own eyes close and sleep overcome him.


	6. Carlos Knows What To Do

At eight in the morning Carlos stumbled groggily out of his room only to be met by the sweetest thing he'd ever seen. Logan was asleep, sitting up on the couch. His head was rested at an odd angle while his fingers were entwined in James' hair. James was curled up under a blanket, head resting on Logan's lap. Carlos smiled at the two.

He realized that he should probably wake Logan up and save him from the uncomfortable position he was in. He reached over and gently shook Logan's shoulder.

Logan's eyes drifted open in a matter of seconds. Tiredly, he stared up at Carlos and gave him a warm smile.

"G'morning." He whispered, careful not to wake James.

"Good morning." Carlos said, returning the smile. "What are you guys doing out here?"

"James got sick in the middle of the night and he needed me. He was too tired to make it back to his room and when I tried to go he begged me to stay. So I did. I guess I fell asleep."

"You think he's okay? He's not usually so clingy." Carlos said, worry evident in the boys voice.

"He'll be okay. He just doesn't feel good." Logan assured him.

Carefully, Logan removed James head from his lap. He grabbed a pillow and placed it under his sleeping friend's head. Logan got up and stretched, letting out a big yawn. He rubbed a sore spot on the back of his neck and turned to Carlos.

"I'm gonna run in and take a quick shower. Can you just kind of keep an eye on James? You know, just make sure he's comfortable, get him whatever he needs? He'll be waking up soon. I wouldn't leave him, but I really stink, so…"

"Yeah, I'm right here. Take your time. I can handle it." Carlos assured.

"Are you sure? I don't want what happened to your goldfish to happen to James." Logan said, half serious, half teasing. Although the Latino boy had a tendency to neglect trivial responsibility, Logan knew that when it came to something as serious as a friend's health Carlos could mature instantly.

"Aw, come on! How was I suppose to know it was hungry? It didn't bark or anything!" Carlos whined at the mention of the fish incident.

"Carlos, fish don't bark!" Logan couldn't help but chuckle.

"Exactly! It must have been defective!" Carlos argued on.

Logan laughed lightly and shook his head. He was halfway through the bathroom door when he looked over his shoulder and called out, "Just knock if you need anything!"

Logan must not have realized how much force he used when shutting the door to the bathroom. A loud slam was made and Carlos looked at James, who was now stirring in his sleep.

Carlos didn't exactly know what to do. He'd never really taken care of anyone before. He never really had been in a similar situation either. To calm his nerves, he told himself to just do what Logan would do. He reached a hand out and rubbed James' shoulder.

Slowly, James' eyes fluttered open. He let out a soft moan and turned to face the couch, closing his eyes once more

Carlos didn't know what to make of this. Was James uncomfortable? Tired? Carlos didn't have the slightest idea. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

"Ahem, um, James? I need to take your temperature." He said, trying to sound like he meant business, like he knew what he was doing.

James turned once more to face Carlos. He raised an eyebrow at him and seemed to be a bit skeptical.

"Um. Alright." He croaked, voice still clogged with sleep.

Carlos grabbed the thermometer and examined it. He flipped it around, looking at every detail. Honestly, he know what to do with it. So again, he did what Logan always did and shoved it in James' mouth.

"Uh, Carlos?" James mumbled past the thermometer.

"No talking." Carlos said, remember all the times Logan had scolded him for talking with a mouth full of thermometer.

"But Carlos, you put the wrong side in." James said, flipping it around. Normally, he would have laughed at his friend's stupidity but he just didn't have it in him. He was just feeling too sick.

"Oh." Carlos said, a little embarrassed.

After a short few minutes the thermometer beeped and Carlos took it from James' mouth. Thankfully, it was digital and he wouldn't have to read a mercury level.

"104.6. Is that bad?" Carlos asked.

"Kinda." James said, closing eyes. "Why's it so cold?" James asked, shivering.

"What are you talking about? It's like 80 degrees in here." Carlos asked, confused.

"Well, I'm freezing." James mumbled and pulled the already present blanket tighter around him.

Carlos grabbed another blanket off a chair and draped it over James.

"Thanks." He mumbled.

Carlos felt terrible, watching his friend lay on the couch miserably. He looked pale and…blotchy. He was running a high fever and really looked sick.

"How do you feel?" He asked. What a dumb question.

"Not good." James responded.

"Do you want something to eat? Maybe you'll feel better if you eat something. Here, I'll go make you some dinosaur chicken nuggets." Carlos zipped off to the kitchen before James could respond.

James sat up slowly, pulling the blankets tighter around his body. He was cold and nauseous and the last thing in the world he wanted was food. But he didn't stop Carlos. He knew he was only trying to help and appreciated his efforts. He scratched at his arms and legs. Man, was this driving him crazy! The awful sensation covered his entire body.

Carlos came back with a plate of half cooked dinosaur chicken. He noticed James was scratching furiously. He set the plate down on the coffee table and sat down next to James, gently grabbing his arms.

"Your not suppose to itch them." Carlos told him.

"But they're driving me crazy!" James whined.

"You're suppose to put that pink stuff on to stop the itching."

"Well do we have any?" James asked desperately. He scratched at his left foot, using his right foot.

"Um, I don't think so. But I'm pretty sure the magic is in the dye. So we can just use anything pink." Carlos smiled and nodded, quite sure of himself.

"Are you sure about that?" James asked. He didn't even know what pink stuff Carlos was talking about. But he figured Carlos knew more about chicken pox than he did, having had previous experience and all, so he was left with no choice but to trust him.

"Of course I'm sure!" Carlos jumped off the couch and hurried into his and Logan's room. He dug around a bit and realized that neither of them had anything pink that might stop the itching. He ran into the kitchen and dug through the fridge, cupboards and drawers. Finally, he stumbled upon a container of strawberry frosting.

"Perfect!" He exclaimed and grabbed the frosting. He brought it back to James, who was still scratching hopelessly.

"What's that for?" He asked, eyeing the frosting suspiciously.

"It's to make you stop itching!" Carlos grinned as he pried open the container.

James sighed and shook his head lightly. He doubted that the pink stuff you were suppose to use was frosting, but he didn't care. The itching had become unbearable. "You know what, at this point I'll try anything."

"Where's it itch most?" He asked, sticking his fingers in the pink mess.

"My arms and stomach." James said, scratching at his now bright red arms.

"Take your shirt off." Carlos instructed.

James did as he was told. Carlos took a big glob of pink frosting and smoothed it onto James stomach. He took another glob and began rubbing down James' arms.

"How does it feel?" He asked.

"Sticky." James said. However, it didn't seem to be helping with the itch much.

'I think that's normal. The sticky means its working." Carlos replied. He dug out all the remaining frosting and applied it to any part of James that he missed.

Just then, Kendall emerged from his room, wearing only a t-shirt and boxers. He froze in his tracks the second he saw them.

James sat on the couch, looking weak and sick. He was covered in some mystery pink substance. Carlos looked up at him innocently with pink hands. And was that…strawberry, he smelled?

"Okay. Now I gotta know. What are you guy doing?"

"James was itchy." Was all Carlos said.

Kendall chuckled lightly and called for Logan.


	7. Delirium

Logan scrambled in as soon as he heard his name called, half expecting there to be a James related emergency. He was both relieved and confused when instead of seeing James passed out on the floor, he saw him sitting on the couch, covered in pink frosting.

"What…How…Who…Carlos!" Logan whined and looked at the Latino boy.

"Yeah?" He asked, completely innocent.

"Why is James pink?" Logan asked.

"Logan! He isn't pink. James is white. Actually he's kinda ta-"

"I meant why is he covered in pink frosting!" Logan interrupted Carlos' clueless rant.

A look of realization passed over his face. "Oh! Because he was itchy. We didn't have pink lotion, but this should work just as good." Carlos smiled, admiring his mess with great pride. He loved helping his friends, even though he didn't always do the best job of it.

"Guys…I feel like a cupcake. A sticky, itchy cupcake." James said softly.

Logan sighed and rubbed his temples, trying to block out the snickering he heard from Kendall. "Okay, I'm gonna run you an oatmeal bath, that should help with the itching. And Carlos, just because it's pink doesn't mean it'll work like calamine lotion."

"Oh. Sorry, James." Carlos said, slightly embarrassed, and slightly guilty. James was feeling like crap and all he was doing was making him feel gross and sticky.

James seemed to sense Carlos' guilt. "Hey, it was worth a try, man. Thanks." James gave him a small smile.

Carlos smiled back and James felt relieved knowing that Carlos wasn't upset anymore.

"James, come on." Logan waved him into the bathroom.

Logan had already began filling the tube with warm water. He had a bag of ground oatmeal in his hands. James looked longingly at the tub. It looked so nice, so peaceful. So…not sticky. He watched as Logan poured the power into the now full tub. He ran his hand through the water to mix the powder throughout the water, making little waves in the process.

"Alright, you're good to go. Call me if you need help or anything, okay?" Logan looked at him seriously.

"Yeah. Thanks Logan." James said, making his way closer to the tub of water and oatmeal.

"No problem." Logan smiled, before leaving the room.

James carefully undressed, easing his clothes off in an attempt to avoid hitting any sore spots. Once the task has been completed, he slowly slid himself into the water. He let out a relieved sigh as the warm water rushed over his feverish, bumpy skin. It felt so good on his spots. Any trace of an itch was instantly washed away. James leaned his head back against the tub and closed his eyes, feeling completely relaxed. Everything was so soothing. He felt itch free and clean, now that the frosting had washed away. The room was completely silent. James was finally at peace.

After sitting in the warm tube for a few minutes he felt his eyes begin to droop. He forced them open and leaned a bit further into the water, enjoying its warmth. Before James could stop it, his eyelids fluttered shut and he succumbed to the peace.

He didn't know how long he'd been resting, but when he woke up the water around his was no longer warm and welcoming, in fact it was freezing. Someone was pounding loudly on the door, causing a headache to form inside his skull.

"James! Are you alright in there? You've been in there for almost 45 minutes!" Logan's voice boomed through the door.

"M'okay" James called out, weakly. He still felt exhausted.

"Do you need any help?" Logan called from the other side of the door.

James sighed. He was too tired to do it by himself. His body felt tired and his brain felt foggy.

"Kay." James said, quietly but just loud enough for Logan to hear.

The second he spoke, Logan burst through the door, ready to help his sick friend.

"Oh my god, you're shivering! What the hell made you stay in here so long?" Logan asked as he grabbed a towel for James to dry off with.

" I'm a lil' tired." James admitted, words slightly slurred. He noticed that Logan was right, he WAS shivering. He hugged his arms around his chest.

"C'mon." Logan mumbled as he helped James up and out of the tub and handed him the towel. He then helped James' slip on a t-shirt and some pajama pants.

Logan lifted a hand to James forehead. "You're really warm." He stated.

"Oh." James said. Just one syllable. Logan frowned. Something didn't seem right.

Logan examined James. He was still shivering slightly. His eyes looked red and tired. He was still very pale.

"James?" Logan called to him. James seemed to stare right through him. He was staring right at Logan but was unresponsive. "James?" He tried again. Still no response.

James head bobbed as Logan tried once more, hands gripped firmly on James' shoulders. "James?"

James finally seemed to snap out of it. "Hmm?" He mumbled.

"Are you okay? What's the matter?" Logan asked worriedly.

"Huh? M'fine, Kendall." James whispered, eyes burning with fever.

"James, it's me, I'm Logan." Logan was getting very worried.

James chuckled. "Ha ha. No."

"Come on, James. You need to lay down and we need to check your temperature." Logan said, dragging James to his room and gently easing him onto the bed.

Logan grabbed the thermometer and shoved it into James mouth. At that moment, Kendall and Carlos arrived.

"What's going on? Is James okay?" Carlos' eyebrows furrowed in confusion and fear.

"Yeah, I mean you just ran in here so fast." Kendall said.

"I don't know what's wrong. He's really out of it. He called me Kendall!" Logan exclaimed.

Just then the thermometer beeped and Logan hurriedly ripped it from James mouth to read it.

"106." Logan read. "We need to bring his fever down, _now. _Carlos, go get an icepack, Kendall, go get some water and Tylenol."

His two friends speeded out of the room, both able to tell by Logan's tone that this was serious. Logan stayed back with James to keep an eye on him. He watched as James' head flopped from side to side and his eyes darted around the room, looking confused.

"James? C'mon, look at me. What's going on buddy?" Logan patted his cheek lightly.

"Don't. I can't." James mumbled.

"You can't what?" Logan asked, confused. His friend was obviously delirious, not making sense at all.

"Nuh-uh." James slurred.

"Hurry up, you guys!" Logan called for Kendall and Carlos, never leaving his sick friend's side.

Carlos and Kendall rushed into the room, holding the supplies in their hands. Logan took the icepack and rested it against James' head.

"It's not Thursday, Kendall." James mumbled to Logan.

Logan didn't respond. He was too busy pouring a few pills from the bottle of Tylenol into his hand. He handed them and the glass of water to James.

"I don't like oranges." James told them.

"What are you talking about?" Kendall asked, confused by his friend's delusional state.

"No orange." James whimpered while pushing away the glass of water.

"It's a glass of water, dude! It's not an orange." Carlos exclaimed, seemingly shocked that James didn't know that.

James just stared right through them. He couldn't comprehend anything at that moment. His head felt like it was filled with pea soup thick fog. He really didn't feel good. He felt incredibly hot, but at the same time he was freezing. He was sleepy, but his friends wouldn't leave him alone. They kept rumbling on and on about what sounded like nothing. The words seemed to slip right through him. He couldn't focus on anything.

Suddenly, he began to feel panicked. He was scared. He couldn't understand the words being exchanged. His vision was blurry and disoriented. He was confused. He was afraid. He shut his eyes tight as tears began to fill them.

Kendall was the first to notice when James started whimpering. "Hey, what's the matter?"

James just cried harder. He wasn't sure who was talking to him. "Mom!" He called. His mom would make this better. Mom's always make everything better.

"James, your mom isn't here. Just us three." James felt someone pull him into a hug, but he couldn't tell who it was.

"Go get my mom! I want my mom!" He kept shouting. He cried onto the shoulder. Where was his mom? Why wasn't she coming?

Completely unaware that it was Logan who held him, James cried and cried, soaking his shoulder with his wet, salty tears. His friends tried to comfort him, but he was too disoriented to notice. Eventually, exhaustion got to him and he fell asleep.

Logan carefully laid him back down against his pillows and pressed the icepack closer against his face.

"He's really sick, isn't he?" Carlos asked quietly, afraid of the answer. He didn't like it when his friends were sick or hurt or anything but happy.

"He'll be okay, Carlos. He's pretty sick right now, but we just need to keep an eye on him." Logan told him.

"What do we do, Logan?" Kendall asked.

"Well, I'm gonna try to give him some liquid Tylenol in a little while, no way he can take pills right now. Other than that, just try to keep him cool. We'll see how he is in a little while. We just need to get his fever down." Logan told them, never taking his eyes off of James' feverish skin.

"W-what if he's not better in a little while?" Carlos dared to asked, worry evident on his face and in his voice.

"We'll have to take him to the hospital." Logan said, just above a whisper.

"Oh." Carlos shuddered at the thought.


	8. Frustration Sets In

**I'm ashamed of this chapter. Go ahead, boo me if you must. **

"Is he going to be alright?" Carlos asked, worry dripping from his voice.

"He should be. I gave him the medicine about half an hour ago. We iced him pretty good. I'll check his temperature in a few minutes." Logan said, running a hand through James moist hair.

Carlos frowned. James still looked pale and sweaty and sick. He didn't want James to end up in the hospital. He knew how much he hated hospitals, even if they served a good purpose. Hospitals were a scary place to all the guys. They were too white and bright. They were full of sick people but they still smelled so…clean. It was weird.

Kendall noticed Carlos' discomfort and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Don't worry, Carlos, James is gonna be just fine." He whispered

Carlos gave a small smile, still not entirely convinced. He was grateful that Kendall tried to put his mind at ease but Carlos knew better. He wasn't stupid. He knew that Kendall couldn't guarantee anything.

"Logie, take his temperature now. I really wanna know if he's better." Carlos begged.

Logan nodded his head as he grabbed the thermometer. "Yeah, we probably should. If his temperature hasn't gone down by now he needs medical attention."

Carlos gulped as Logan stuck the thermometer in a sleeping James' mouth. Silently, he prayed that James' fever had gone down.

It seemed like forever before the thermometer finally beeped and Logan took it out to read it. Carlos anxiously studied Logan's face, looking for any clues as to what the verdict was but Logan's expression was unreadable.

Finally Logan looked up and smiled. "103.4. It's gone down."

Carlos breathed out a sigh or relief at the good news. "Oh, good." He smiled.

"Well, what do we do now?" Kendall asked.

"We should just let him rest and give him some more meds and fluids when he wakes up." Logan responded.

The three boys exited the room, all relieved that James was slowly getting better.

**PAGEBREAKPOWERSACTIVATE **

When James woke up, he felt a little disoriented. Wasn't he on the couch? How did he get to his room?

The room spun as he sat up a bit. He glanced around and took notice of the fact that he was alone. Sighing, he leaned into his pillows and examined his arm. He frowned when he saw the dreadful spots still covering his skin.

He couldn't help but feel frustrated. Chicken pox. What a stupid disease! It's all itchy uncomfortable and anything but fun. The pox were everywhere. Even his face. _The _face. It wasn't fair. Why did he have to get sick? He was tired of itching and feeling like crap all the time. He wanted to be well again.

His thoughts were interrupted when Kendall walked in the room and smiled at him. "Hey, James, how you feeling?"

James rolled his eyes, tired of being asked that. "Same as I did before, I guess."

Kendall frowned a little bit. "You need anything? Like, some medicine or something to eat or drink?"

"No, I'm not really hungry. I'm okay, for now." He shifted on the bed, trying to find a more comfortable position. His current position was starting to irritate his pox.

"You haven't eaten in a while. You should probably try to eat. I'll go ask Logan." Kendall said and disappeared before James had a chance to protest.

James didn't even have time to blink before Logan bolted into the room with Kendall right behind him. James mentally groaned. As much as he appreciated Logan's concern and help, he was sick of needing someone to look after him. He absolutely hated this kind of attention.

"Hey there. How do you feel?" Logan asked, as he placed a hand on James forehead.

"M'fine, I guess." He mumbled.

Logan frowned at him. "What do you mean, 'you guess'? James, tell me what's the matter."

James let out a frustrated moan. "Same shit as before! I just don't feel well, Logan!"

James rolled over to face the wall. His head pounded and his chest was itchy and he felt tears form in his eyes. He knew he was being a brat, a big baby. But he couldn't help it. He felt sick and frustrated and he couldn't even think straight.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon, James. What's the matter." It was Logan's voice.

"I'm tired of being sick! I just want to feel better! I want to be able to eat and not scratch and not need help with something as simple as showering!" He felt the salty tears spill out of his eyes and immediately he felt ashamed. He felt like a ridiculous brat.

"We know it sucks, James. But soon you'll feel well again. You just have to give it some time, is all. Chicken pox take a while to heal." Kendall said softly.

"I'm so sick of you guys saying that! It isn't fair! All I want is to feel okay again!" He let out a small sob.

"Hey, it's okay. Shhh, don't cry." Logan tried to comfort his friend.

"James, it's alright, man. You'll be okay." Kendall tried.

James just sobbed harder, making the ache in his head increase. "I'm-I'm sorry I yelled." He mumbled through his tears. He was embarrassed and ashamed. Why was he being such a jerk? Being sick was no excuse to yell at his friends.

"Hey, it's okay. We know you don't feel good. You're just a bit cranky is all." Logan said, softly.

"No! You guys are just trying to make me feel better and I'm being a brat! I'm so sorry." His sobs had died down a little by now.

"Dude, seriously, you're fine. We all get kind of pissy when we're sick. We understand, we're not offended." Kendall told him.

James sniffled and wiped a tear from his cheek. Slowly, he turned back to face his friends. "You guys are the best. Thanks."

They both smiled at him. Logan then grabbed the thermometer. "I want to make sure your fever is still under control. It was pretty high early this afternoon." He stuck the thermometer in his mouth

"When?" James asked while trying to hold the thermometer in place.

"Don't you remember anything?" Kendall asked him.

"No? All I remember was sitting on the couch being covered in pink. Didn't I fall asleep there?"

"No. We had to help you in here. You were so out of it, man. You thought the water we gave you was an orange." Kendall told him.

"Oh." James began to feel embarrassed all over again. He must have been really sick if he couldn't even remember it. He knew he probably scared them all, too. James had never been so sick before.

The thermometer sounded and Logan slid it out of James mouth. "103.4. You've gone down."

"That's good." James yawned. He just woke up, why did feel sleepy so quickly?

"Yes it is. How about you try to eat something?" Logan asked.

James grimaced. "My stomach is kinda off. Do I have to?"

"Yeah, you need to try. I don't even remember the last time you ate. You're body needs food." Logan lectured.

James sighed in defeat. He knew Logan was right and he'd make him eat no matter what. "Fine."

"Anything sound good?" Logan asked, knowing the answer already.

"No. Food sounds kind of unappealing right now." He mumbled as he felt his eyelids sink.

"Alright. I'll get you something light. Some crackers, or maybe some toast." Logan told him, and James nodded in response with his eyes slowly shutting.

"Hey, why don't you close your eyes and rest a few minutes? We'll wake you up in a little bit. You look so tired." Kendall commented.

"Yeah, I kind of am. Just gonna rest a few more minutes." James mumbled as his eyes completely closed.

Kendall patted his friend's shoulder. "Sleep tight, James." He whispered as he left the room.

**I'm sorry this sucks so bad. But before I fixed it, it was even worse! So anyways, I guess my heart just hasn't been in it lately. I've been having A LOT of problems with my mother, so I've been kind of upset lately. But I figured that was no excuse not to give you guys an update. So please, take the time to review. Let me have it. The good, the bad and the ugly. **


	9. Home Is Where The Heart Is

James felt someone shaking him, lightly. He batted them away, groaning. He was tired, damn it. He wanted to sleep. Whoever it was would just have to wait.

Unfortunately, whoever it was wasn't about to give up that easily. The shaking continued, a bit more forceful this time.

"James, c'mon. Time to wake up." The voice of the mystery shaker whispered to him.

Lazily, he forced his eyes open. His whole body felt too tired for this. The first thing he noticed when his eyes opened was that it was dark. How long had he been asleep? The second thing he noticed was Carlos, staring at him with worried eyes.

"How long was I asleep?" He asked as a yawn escaped his mouth.

"I don't know. A few hours. Logan said to let you sleep." Carlos told him.

"Well, why am I awake then?" James asked, a bit irritated to have been woken up for what he assumed to be nothing.

"Logan said you had to eat something, remember?" Carlos said.

"Oh. Well where are they?" He asked, referring to Logan and Kendall.

"Kendall had to go help Jo with something and Logan went to the store to buy food. They said I could look after you, isn't that great?" Carlos smiled. He was obviously very excited to be trusted looking after their sick friend, especially after the frosting incident.

James gave him a small smile, trying to show a bit of enthusiasm for Carlos. "Yeah, pretty great, Carlitos."

"And don't worry. Logan told me exactly what to do. That way I don't mess anything up this time." Carlos said, smile never fading.

James chuckled. "Okay."

"So, are you hungry?" Carlos asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

James made a disgusted face. "No. Not really."

Carlos frowned a little. "But Logan said you had to eat."

"Carlos, I don't want to. I don't feel good." James told him.

"Logan said you'd say that." Carlos responded.

James rolled his eyes. He didn't wanna be mean, but he really wished Carlos would leave. He was tired and had no appetite at all. He didn't want to hear a bunch of stuff that Logan said. He didn't care at the moment.

"Look, I brought you some crackers." Carlos pointed to the table next to James' bed where there was a plate with about ten Ritz cracker on it

"Thanks." James said in a monotone voice. He made no attempt to grab one.

"Logan said you have to eat some." Carlos reminded him.

"Logan's not here." James mumbled as he put on a pout.

"Please, Jamie? I really don't want you to get sicker."

James could sense the desperation in Carlos' voice. He even called him Jamie. That was a nickname they guys reserved for times like this. It made James feel like a little kid, but it also showed him how much his friends cared about him. He knew Carlos was only trying to help him feel better.

He sighed. "Fine. I don't have to eat them all, do I?"

"Logan said to eat what you can."

James nibbled on a cracker. It didn't make him feel any better, but it didn't make him feel any worse. Three crackers in and he decided he was done. He really didn't want to go back to puking.

"No more." James pushed the plate away.

"Well, I guess three's better than none." Carlos said.

James frowned. He felt so miserable. He felt sick and tired, and even though Carlos was with him, he felt lonely. A big part of him wished he was back in Minnesota, curled up on his couch with his mom fussing over him.

Mom. He missed his mom. Even though she was always busy with her cosmetics business, she always made time for James when he wasn't well. The minute she found out he was sick or hurt, she dropped everything to take care of him. No meeting or interview was more important than him. He wanted his mom to hug him and kiss his forehead just like she had done for him the few times he was sick before and the many times he was injured.

Carlos noticed the look on James' face and knew something was up, other than the fact that he didn't feel well. "What's the matter?"

"I just don't feel good, Carlos. I'm okay." James' voice sounded soft and tired.

"What else is wrong?" Carlos asked.

James sighed and placed his head in his hands. "You'll think it's stupid." He mumbled through his hands.

"James, if it's bothering you it isn't stupid." Carlos encouraged him to tell him what was the matter.

"Yes, you will. You're gonna laugh at me." James sounded like he was about to cry. The sadness in his voice nearly broke Carlos' heart.

He reached out and put a comforting hand on James' shoulder. "I'd never laugh at you for being sad. C'mon, James. I won't even tell Kendall or Logan if you don't want me to."

James uncovered his face, but didn't look up. "I just miss my mom."

"Oh. It's okay to miss her, James. I'd miss my mom, too, if I was sick and away from her." He told him.

"I just want to go home, Carlos. I want my mom." He mumbled, a little embarrassed for sounding like a child.

"Well, you can't go home. But you can call her tomorrow morning, if you want. I'm sure she'd be happy to hear from you. And I know it's not the same, but you still have us to take care of you." Carlos told him.

James smiled a little. "Thanks." He really did appreciated that his friends were taking care of him, but they still weren't his mother.

"Hey, how about we go watch a movie? Maybe that'd make you feel a little better." Carlos suggested.

"Yeah, okay." James said, nodding.

Carlos helped him out of bed and wrapped a blanket around James shoulders. He helped him to the couch before making his way over to the shelf that held all the DVDs.

"What do you want to watch?" Carlos asked.

"Um, I don't know. Something nice." James said, yawning.

"Okay." Carlos said, trying to be quiet. He could tell James probably wasn't going to stay awake for the whole movie.

Carlos popped in Aladdin and took a seat next to James. About fifteen minutes into the movie, Carlos noticed James eyes were starting to droop and his yawns were becoming more frequent.

"Lay down, James." Carlos instructed, softly.

James nodded and rested his head on the opposite side of the couch. He drew his legs in close to him as not to bother Carlos.

However, Carlos gently pulled James' feet into his lap and began rubbing them, trying to soothe him. He remembered once when they were little and were having a sleepover at James' house. James had woken up screaming in the middle of the night due to a nightmare. He remembered how James' mom came in and rubbed his feet until he fell back to sleep. Ever since then, the boys always knew to rub James' feet for him when he was upset.

Soon, Carlos heard soft snoring from across the couch and looked over at James. Carlos couldn't help but notice his pale face, dotted with the red bumps. He knew James was miserable and really wished he could do more to help. He didn't like his friends to be sad.

Carlos continued to rub his feet as James slept. He shook his, feeling bad for the sick boy and whispered softly, "Please get better soon."

**I figured Carlos deserved a chance to redeem himself after the frosting thing. So I decided on some nice fluff :3 Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are excellent! :D**


	10. Once The Face, Always The Face

_The next morning, James woke up on the couch. He stretched, feeling like he'd been asleep forever. He looked over at the clock on the wall and noticed it was nearly noon. Maybe he had _been asleep forever.

Glancing around the room, he realized he was alone. He also realized that he had dulled from feeling absolutely sick to feeling blah. He'd settle for that though. He was getting pretty tired of feeling like he was dying.

Slowly, he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He looked in the direction of the kitchen, thinking about grabbing breakfast. He quickly decided against it. Sure, he knew he could handle food, but he still had no appetite.

He pushed himself up off the couch and headed to the bathroom. He used the bathroom and washed his hands. As he turned off the water, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

His heart sank. His face was still covered in angry red dots. It made him look like a PMSing teenage girl, he thought. He was supposed to be _The Face_. He couldn't be _The Face _when he looked like a walking pepperoni pizza.

It just wasn't fair. The one thing he really had going for him and chicken pox had taken it away from him. He was so worried that the pox would leave scares. He didn't want to be ugly. He wanted to be _The Face. _Most of the time he felt like that was all that he knew how to be.

He sighed, walking out of the bathroom. He couldn't stand to look at himself anymore. Not when he looked like this. He was so ashamed. He knew it wasn't his fault that he got sick, but he still felt like he should have done something to protect _The Face._

He back to the couch and sunk deep down in the cushions. The couch felt warm and cozy as he rubbed his legs on the soft material. He yawned, feeling sleepy again. He decided that he'd stay awake though. He didn't want to spend the whole day sleeping.

He turned on the TV. The channel on was the Lifetime Movie Network. There was some movie on about a beautiful girl who's face was disfigured in after a car accident. Everyone treated her differently after that. Half the people she knew felt bad for her and the other half shunned her for looking so hideous.

James quickly turned the TV once he figured out where the movie was going. He felt the same way as the girl. His situation wasn't nearly as bad, but he sure felt like it was. What if _The Face _was left permanently scarred? What would people say? What would he do? He groaned, shutting his eyes tight as he tried to block out the frightening thoughts.

He heard the front door creak open and his flew open fast. He poked his head over the top of the couch and saw Kendall kicking off his sneakers.

Kendall noticed him and greeted him cheerfully. "Hey, how you feeling, man?"

James let out another sigh. "I'm okay."

Kendall frowned. "You don't sound okay. Do you feel sick, still?" Kendall moved forward and placed his hand on James' forehead.

"No, I feel…Eh. I'm alright, Kendall." James assured as he gently pushed Kendall's hand off his forehead.

"Dude, I can tell when something is wrong with you, so spill." Kendall said, plopping down on the living room chair.

"Just kind of bummed, I guess." James mumbled.

"About what, being sick?" Kendall asked.

"Sort of."

"Explain." Kendall encouraged.

"It's my face, Kendall." James finally admitted.

"What about it?" Kendall was clearly confused.

"Look at me! I'm…I'm ugly!" James screamed. He buried his face in his hands, ashamed.

"James, you are not ugly! Why would you say that?" Kendall asked, stupidly.

"Dude, my face is going to be all scarred up from these stupid pox!" He exclaimed, hysterically.

"Woah, calm down," Kendall spoke slowly and softly, "listen to me, okay? Hear me out."

James silenced.

"You're going to be just fine. Chicken pox don't leave scars unless you scratch at them a lot. And you haven't been scratching your face much. Besides, no matter what happens, no matter what you look like, you will _always _be the face. It's a title you were born with, dude." Kendall said with a half smile.

"Promise?" James whispered.

"Absolutely, James."

James broke out into a smile. Kendall had just told him exactly what he needed to hear.

"Hey, Logan and Carlos are going to be back with the groceries soon. How about we go hide out in our room so we don't have to help them put stuff away?" Kendall grinned deviously.

"Sure." James answered, following Kendall into their room.

"And, Kendall?" James called, quietly.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

Kendall grinned at him. "No problem."

**Cheese, cheese, cheese, cheesy. I know. But it's fluffy. ACKNOWLEGDE THE FLUFF. Alrighty, well sorry it's been so long since I updates, but I'm working two jobs now and I'm always exhausted. I WILL make time to write though, so don't worry! I just don't have a lot of time to work with….ANYWHO, what did you guys think of this chapter? Was it good? Bad? AMAZING? Let me know. INTERNET HEARTS FOR ALL!**


	11. It's About Time!

James didn't even know he had fallen asleep until he woke up. He wiped the drool off the side of his mouth and cracked his eyes open to get a look at his surroundings. He was on the couch in the living room. It was dark, obviously nighttime, and the TV was on, casting a soft glow.

He also noticed that he didn't feel sick. He didn't even feel blah. For once he was actually feeling okay. He smiled to himself as he let out a yawn and a stretch.

The front door opened and his three laughing friends appeared in the apartment. They smiled at him, and he eagerly returned the gesture.

"Hey sleepy head. How do you feel?" Logan asked as he moved closer and laid a soft hand on James' forehead. "You don't feel warm."

"Actually, I feel pretty good. A little bit tired, but other than that, I feel better than I have in a while. What time is it?" James asked.

"9:30." Kendall answered him.

"9:30? I've been asleep the whole day! Why didn't you guys wake me?" He shouted. He couldn't believe he just wasted an entire day. He understood that he was sick and needed rest but this just seemed a bit extreme to him.

Carlos bounced over to the couch and threw himself down on it, clicking the lamp on the side table on in the process.

"I wanted to! I really wanted to, James! But Logan wouldn't let me! There was this show on about extreme caterpillars and it was _awesome!_ I really, really, really wanted to wake you up for it but Logan said you needed your rest and then I told him that-"

"Carlos," James cut him off, "I get it. Logan wanted me to rest. But…Where were you guys?"

"Oh, you mean where did we just come from? We went to go pick up some pizzas." Kendall smiled, holding out two large boxes filled with intoxicating smelling pizzas.

James hadn't even noticed the pizzas in his hand until he mentioned it, but he didn't dwell on that. He was too hungry. "Thank God, I starving!"

James kicked off the blanket that was draped across his lower half and made his way to the kitchen for a paper plate.

The three boys followed and Kendall placed the boxes down on the counter.

"Wow, you really must be feeling better." Logan observed as James put two big pieces of pepperoni pizza on his plate.

"I am. I haven't been this hungry in a week!" James said between bites.

Logan stepped closer to James and grabbed his arm, examining the pox. He looked at James face and noticed that the once vibrant red spots had dulled in color.

"It looks like your spots are healing." Logan told him.

"James is better? Yay! Let's celebrate! Let's go to the zoo? Can we go to the zoo? Can we?" Carlos bounced eagerly.

"Chill, Carlitos." Kendall said as he placed a hand on Carlos' shoulder in an attempt to settle him down.

Logan ignored Carlos and focused only on James. "You really feeling better?"

"Yeah. I feel really good. I think I'm better. We should do what Carlos said and go out to celebrate!"

"Slow your roll, James. You need to take it easy for a few more days. I know you feel good, but your body is still healing. When your spots are completely healed, you're in the clear, got it?" Logan instructed.

"Yes, _mom._" James teased.

"So when you're better we can go to the zoo, right?" Carlos asked.

"Carlos maybe we should let James choose what we do. He's the one that's been sick." Kendall pointed out.

"But you'll pick the zoo, right James?" Carlos asked with the most hopeful look in his eyes that James had ever seen.

"Yes, Carlos, as soon as I'm completely better we'll all go to the zoo." James told him. He couldn't help but laugh when excitement overtook Carlos when he heard him say that.

"Guys, thank you." James said as he put a third slice of pizza on his plate.

"For what?" Logan asked, totally oblivious.

"What do you mean 'for what'? For helping me when I was sick!"

"Oh. Don't thank us. You're our best friend. We're just glad you're feeling better." Logan told him.

"Yeah, James. Do you _really_ think we would have taken care of you if we didn't want to?" Kendall asked, smirking.

James smiled. It was times like this he was glad he had the most loyal, caring and just plain _awesome_ best friends in the entire universe. "You guys are the best."

**AND DONE! Okay, so that was the ending. I didn't really like the ending, but I couldn't think of a better way to end it. Thank you so much for all the awesome reviews I've gotten! You guys have been super patient and supportive throughout the whole story! Please leave me a review of any final comments you guys have : ) I'm going to focus on Big Time Poison, which should be done in about four or five chapters. Also, I'm working REALLY hard on Through The Smile. I feel it's my very best work and it's the story I'm most proud of. So if you guys could check that out, too, it'd be awesome : ) Again, thanks so much for sticking with me! This is goodbye, but not for long!**


End file.
